The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2023 hunting seasons will not be available for a few more weeks, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 16,800 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.4 million servings of local, nutritious venison.

The buck harvest will be close to 9,800, which will be up from 2022 (9,619) and the previous 3-year average of 9,336. The final antlerless deer harvest will be around 7,000, which will be down from the previous 3-year average (8,101).

“Hunting conditions were mixed in 2023,” said Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader. “Warm weather in October limited deer movement during the day, and frequent weekend rain events reduced hunter effort. This resulted in harvests during the archery, youth and novice, and October muzzleloader seasons being down considerably from 2022.

Conversely, seasonable temperatures and snow in much of the state during November and December resulted in increased harvests during the regular season and December muzzleloader season.”

The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin.

The 2023 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on Fish and Wildlife’s website in early March. Beginning in late March, the department will be holding informational hearings to share biological information and to listen to any information people wish to share.